For every 1 thing I like about the UTD Arts & Humanities PhD program, there are 10 things I hate. I swear, if i wasnt so far into it already, Id just quit. Doesnt feel worth the aggravation and stress. Public Enemy #1 right now: HUHI 6396. A course that doesnt count towards my degree plan, that I have to pay for anyway, that I also get a grade from that can hurt my overall GPA. HI stands for History of Ideas. In our (overly interdisciplinary) department, its essentially a mashup of History and Philosophy. But mainly history. Im required to take this class because the powers that be looked at my graduate transcript and my vita and decided I didnt have enough of a history background. The fact that my first paper presentation at NCA ever was essentially a historical paper seems to not count in their eyes. But whatever. So, this class, we meet only 3 times before the final paper is due, which is the only grade. Our professor is emeritus and the reason we have to take the class. Hes old school and clearly doesnt understand that history is far from the only thing this department does. He proceeds to savage people on these papers, threatening failures, ordering rewrites, and generally making life for already incredibly stressed PhD students, hell. What he, or apparently the department, doesnt consider is that all of the people in this class are literature and aesthetics (my area) students who will never touch this stuff once they finish their two required courses in that area of the department. Its the dark side of interdisciplinary education. I dont need to take actual history classes to learn how to do historical research. And I especially dont have to get torn to shreds by someone telling me I dont write great historical analyses. No shit, Sherlock. Thats why Im a f**king artist. And if it wasnt for the broad purview of the department, I wouldnt be caught dead in another history class. Does that mean I dont generally enjoy history and employ it in my work? Of course not. I freaking love history. I read about it and use it all the time. But I dont strive to be a historian nor to do the work of a historian. So why take that class? For one, its an easy way to get $2000 more dollars out of me. Beyond that, Im stumped. Ive talked to several people who have taken the class over the last couple of years and the story is always the same. So, why take it? Most people end up with a B or B- (yes, or department does +/-, and yes its frustrating). My only other B is in the only other required course. The basic intro to humanities research course that I pretty much had to take for communication as a grad student. Every other class Ive made As. Thats over the course of 18 hours so far. Dont you think if I was such a shitty writer any one of my professors would have pointed that out to me by now? In fact, on occasion, I have struggled with writing. But thats my professors jobs. To be hard on my and help me become a better writer. Its not some old semi-retired in a completely different area of the department than me guys job to do it. If Im not a good enough writer to get through my PhD, Im pretty sure my actual professors will make that known to me. But here I am nearly 27 hours in, over halfway through with coursework, and I have a 3.8+ GPA. Without that other B (in which the professor ended up loving my final paper so much she asked if Id make it my dissertation topic), its over a 3.9. And so youre telling me Im not good at what exactly?? Im excelling when I actually take classes that apply to my course of study. So frustrating...
Posted on: Tue, 26 Nov 2013 01:00:08 +0000
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